Display appliance



De. 21, 1948. J. T. POWERS, JR

' DISPLAY APPLIANCE Filed Feb. 1l, 1948 mw""wuulMmm Patented Dec. 21,11948 UN I SLTATiESiS PATiEfN EF1 C El..

y 'l v2,456,990

DISPLAY APPLIANCE n JamesThomasPoWers,Jr., Chicago-flieightsalll.,f.

assignor to Funk-Forging Cmpany,.fChcago. Heights; 111.", a corporation"of'Ill'n'ois ApplicationlFebruaryr 11, 1948, Serial No;y 7,670.1 y6claims.. (cl. 2er-H66) The present invention pertains .to orl concernscertaininnovatory beneficial structural features andjresulting.functionaladvantages in display appliances, such as .a Vnew devicewhich securely holdsV signs or papers or analogous posters in frameswithout the employment of any bolts, nuts or screws.

A paramount aim or substantial object of this invention is to provide anexhibit apparatus of this character which is simple in structure, whichis relatively inexpensive to make and hence can be sold lat acomparatively low amount, which performs its service e'iciently andentirely satisfactorily, which is unlikely to become damaged or injuredin ordinary employment, which is composed of few easily operated parts,but which nevertheless allows the display sheet or sheets to be insertedin place or removed therefrom with facility and ease, other accomplisheddesigns of the device becoming apparent from the following descriptionof the structure and mode of operation of a desirable incorporation ofthe invention in physical form.

In order that those skilled in, or acquainted with, this art mayunderstand the structural details of the novel apparatus and comprehendthe functional operative advantages and benefits -accruing therefrom, apreferred embodiment of the invention at the present time has been fullyillustrated in the accompanying drawing forming a part of thisspecification, its composition and mode of operation being describedbelow.

In this drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of the new holder displaying a papersheet or poster;

Figure 2 is a central, Vertical section on line 2 2 of Figure 1 on anenlarged scale;

Figure 3 is a front elevation of the construction shown in Figure 1 onapproximately the same scale as that of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the appliance depicted in Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is a partial cross-section on line 5-5 of Figure 3.

Referring to the several views of the drawing, in which like referencenumerals have been employed to designate the same elements throughout,it will be perceived that the new holder includes a back, rearwardlyfacing, horizontal, angle-bar II and a companion, registered, front,forwardly facing, horizontal angle-bar I2 preferably, but notnecessarily, of like sizes and shapes, the upstanding fianges of suchpair of allied bars accommodating between them the top portion only of athin, rigid, depending backing-plate I3 ofanysuitable `material, suchasmetal, -plasl tic, or comparable -material, these Athree memfbersbeing iixe'dly united togethery near their opposite ends/by a pairyof rivets I4, I4.

The Central .portionof thehorizontal outstand-V ingI flange ofthefrontangle-bar I2 has a longitudinal, rectangular slotr .I 5through-it with the.

straight back-wall of such'opening in near register with the frontsurface of the upstanding flange of such angle-bar.

Against the middle portion of the forward surface of such upright flangeof angle-bar I2 an oscillatory disc-cam I5 is rockingly mounted on asuitable stud I', such cam, ordinarily of metal, consisting of asubstantially flat, main bodIy I8 equipped along one curved or arcuateedge with a correspondingly shaped outstanding marginal rib I9 ofuniformly tapered width, thus providing its edge with a cam conformationI6, another portion of such body I8 having a forwardly extending handleZI by means of which the cam may be manually rocked on its axis.

This cam member, when in clamping position as shown in the drawing,projects in substantial measure down through the opening or slot I5, andwhen not in action it may be rocked up about its axis so as to beentirely above the slotted flange.

The one or more display-sheets or posters 22 to be exhibited whilesupported by this new holder has the top portion held in front of theplate I3 and a flat metal or comparable rectangular clamp 23 of anysuitable size or shape is applied in front thereof while the clamp I8 isabove the horizontal fiange or bar I2 and then the cam is manuallyrocked counter-clockwise down through the opening I5 by its handle 2|until the cam outer edge I6 of rib I9 by engagement with the outer wallof the opening I5 clamps the sheet or sheets firmly in pla-ce.

When it is desired to release the poster or sheet the cam is turnedclockwise until it frees both the poster and the clamping member 23.

As will be readily understood this poster sustaining member is supportedby any approved means, not shown.

In order to reduce the friction between the oscillatory cam member IBand the upright surface cf the angle-bar I2 such member may be deformedto provide a round boss on its back and a corresponding depression onits front accommodating the forward head of the rivet I1, as clearlyportrayed in Figure 5.

In many cases, it is preferred to provide the back surface of the memberI8 just inside its cam rib I9 with a shallow curved bead 20 to ngage theface of the clamp 23, such bead being formed by supplying the front faceof the member I8 With a corresponding curved depression.

To those acquainted with this art it will be obvious that the presentinvention is not necessarily strictly limited and conned to the exactdetails of structure illustrated and described and that reasonablemodifications may be resorted to without departure from the heart andessence of the invention or the loss of any of its substantial benetsand advantages.

I claim:

1. In a display holder, the novel combination of an angle-bar having anaperture through one flange, a cam-member, means rockingly mounting saidcam-member on the adjacent face of the other iiange of the bar andadapted to project through said aperture, a xedly mounted backing-sheetdepending from said angle-bar, and a clamp-member,Y said cam-memberbeing adapted to be rocked manually through said aperture and engagesaid clamp-member to secure a display-sheet between said clamp-memberand said backing-sheet by reason of the action of the cam-surface ofsaid cam-member bearing on a Wall of said aperture.

2. The novel combination set forth in claim 1, in which said cam-memberincludes a rockingly mounted main body, an outstanding rib having acam-edge and a handle by which said member may be manually rocked.

3. The novel combination set forth in claim 2, in which said aperturehas a first wall in substantial register with the adjacent face of saidother flange and a second Wall substantially parallel to said first Walland on Which said cam bears.

4. The novel combination set forth in claim 1, in which saidbacking-plate is mounted on the back of said angle-bar anddependstherefrom.

5. The novel combination set forth in claim 1, in which said cam-memberhas a depression in its front face accommodating a portion of itsmounting mean-s and has on its back face a complementary boss bearingagainst the front face of the angle-bar.

6. The novel combination set forth in claim 1, in which the portion ofsaid cam-member which bears on said clamp-member has an outstandinghollow rib engaging the clamp-member.

JAMES THOMAS POWERS, JR.

No references cited.

